War in Ukraine: response of a weakened Russian army on the ground

After Putin’s call for partial mobilization, the annexation referendums and the Nord Stream gas leaks of late September, a new chapter in the war is opening.
On 8 October, an explosion damaged the symbolic Kerch bridge linking annexed Crimea to Russia, killing three people. It immediately led to a merciless response from the Kremlin, which ordered massive bombings on several Ukrainian cities, without distinguishing between military and civilian targets. Provisional toll: at least 11 dead and 89 injured.
The G7 and NATO held an emergency meeting on Tuesday 11 October. This was an opportunity for the Ukrainian president to call for an air shield to protect the civilian population and to ensure unfailing support from the West. On October 12, the UN condemned by a large majority (143 countries out of 193) the “illegal annexations” of Ukrainian territories by Russia, thus further isolating an already weakened Vladimir Putin.